Vinification: Grapes are destemmed and soft-crushed, with minimal use of sulphur dioxide. The juice ferments and macerates on the skins for a long period of time, during which the cap is punched down daily. The must is cold-clarified by allowing the lees to settle.

Ageing: For 18 months in 60-hectolitre Slavonian oak barriques. In the bottle for at least four months before release onto the market.

This wine has a brilliant ruby red, with attractive depth and decent length. The aromas are alcohol and fruit-rich when the wine is young, later mellowing with bottle age into ripe plum fruit layered over a faintly grassy background note. Dry, soft and well-balanced on the palate, it reveals a pleasing bitterish twist in the finish. Good aromatic length. A classic food wine with rice and pasta in tomato or meat sauces such as lasagna, and meat or cheese filled pasta, as well as grilled and stewed meats, poultry, white meats and soft cheeses.

Besides The Delightful Cocktails, this Pinot Grigio is a great summer wine: twice as good and about half the price of a much overrated brand that seems to make it to every restaurant wine list these days. Great quaff and terrifically food friendly.

Here are three whites and three roses. All are under $20 and should make your sunny day even brighter!

Both Argentine and Spanish wines (specifically Rioja wine) are among the fastest growing "categories" of all fine wine-growing countries. France has also emerged as a growing category for their “great value” wines as well as Italy. This selection spans all four regions and have very attractive price points.

Whether you are an oenophile or a novice, five little words will be your guide to expert wine selection: Frederick Wildman and Sons, Ltd. You’ll never be disappointed.

A little background:

CUMA

Cuma is the range of organic wines produced by Michel Torino Estate. Viticulture and winemaking practices are strictly controlled and certified organic. Fertilizers used in the vineyards are sheep manure, ants are controlled with diatom earth, and weeds are cut with machetes: all natural elements. SRP $12.99

P45

A blend of 50% Grenache, 40% Cinsault and 10% Syrah, this racy rosé has some serious weight on the palate. Vinified as a "vin de saignée," a short maceration with a long fermentation under controlled temperatures is employed. This wine defines the word delicious. SRP $13.99

HECHT & BANNIER

Formed in 2002, Maison Hecht et Bannier produces wines that are reference points for the Languedoc-Roussillon, France’s largest and most confounding winemaking region. SRP $11.99

EL COTO DE RIOIA

El Cotp de Rioja, was founded in 1970 by a group of winemakers committed to creating a new type of Rioja. lts first bottling was released in 1975. Today, El Coto is the leading brand in Spain and among the top-selling Spanish wines in Europe. SRP $9.99 for both Blanco and Rosado.

SANTI

Santi traces its origins to 1843, when Carlo Santi established a wine cellar in the village of lllasi, Italy. The original winery is situated in the heart of the most acclaimed wine growing zones in the Veneto near Lake Garda. SRP $16.99

Easter is perhaps one of the most anticipated events in the Eternal City. From the procession on Good Friday to the Pope’s Easter Sunday mass at St. Peter’s Basilica, the holiday excitement runs throughout the city. This year, the Hotel Hassler Roma is offering a special Roman pasqua (Easter) for guests looking for an extraordinary Easter in Rome. The package includes:

Three nights in luxury accommodations

Daily buffet breakfast at the Hassler’s Salone Eva

Special Easter Sunday Brunch created by Chef Francesco Apreda at the Hassler’s panoramic Michelin-starred Imàgo restaurant

Spumante (Italian sparkling wine) and two bottles of mineral water upon arrival

Easter surprise from the hotel’s pastry chef

Sauna and steam bath

Guests may also relax with an optional massage in-room or at the hotel’s Amorvero SPA (at additional charge). Priced from €1,800 to €2,100 (approximately US$2,430 to US$2,840) based on double occupancy, the package is valid for arrivals on April 22 or 23, 2011. To know more about Hotel Hassler Roma, visit www.hotelhasslerroma.com.

ABOUT HOTEL HASSLER ROMA:Set atop the Spanish Steps and featuring a panoramic view of the entire city, Hotel Hassler Roma, owned and managed by Roberto E. Wirth, has been Rome’s five-star lodging of choice for the world’s elite for more than a century. Each of the 95 rooms (of which 13 are suites) are individually designed and adorned in authentic Italian accents. Highlights include the Michelin-starred panoramic restaurant, Imàgo, and the neighboring, Hassler-owned Il Palazzetto (www.ilpalazzettoroma.com), a charming 16-century, five-story palazzo that offers a restaurant and wine bar with panoramic terraces and four guest rooms

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